Chapter 14: "The First Selection"
"Of course, that was just instinct,"
"I listen to that monster, and it guides my football. That's all."
His back facing Isagi.
With the ball underneath his foot.
Then he twisted his neck.
"You can hear it too, right? The voice of the monster..."
Isagi froze.
His mouth opened slightly.
But no words came out.
Monster?
Instinctively, his thoughts shifted.
To how he ended up in Blue Lock.
The memory of being Luke.
And the abrupt arrival of the System in this life.
Could that be the 'Monster' Bachira was talking about?
But Bachira doesn't know about the System.
No one else did.
"What is this monster, really?"
Isagi thought.
Was it just instinct?
Or was it something even more?
Isagi wondered if it's a clue.
The key to surviving Blue Lock.
And a way to bring Team Z together.
Bachira kept going.
"Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo... even Noel Noa,"
He began dribbling the ball.
Bouncing it off his foot with fluid precision.
"All those legends have their own 'monster' deep inside their hearts... it's proof that they're all strikers."
The rhythmic taps of the ball filled the air.
"…That's what I believe."
As Bachira's grin widened.
"That's why, Isagi..."
Lifting the ball slightly.
Until it hovered in front of his face.
"I'm glad I came to Blue Lock."
There was a brief pause.
"Because I got to meet you."
Isagi stared at Bachira.
For a moment.
All the frustration and confusion.
That Isagi had felt... melted away.
"C'mon, one more time!"
Bachira challenged.
Isagi blinked.
Then realization sparked in his eyes.
"He's really good at dribbling… but on top of that,"
"The stuff he says and does… surprisingly helped me figure some stuff out."
He exhaled deeply.
A faint smile forming.
Isagi charged toward Bachira.
Aiming to snatch the ball.
But Bachira saw it coming.
With an effortless flick.
He dodged Isagi's attempt.
The ball dancing at his feet.
"Nya~ha~♪"
He teased, his laughter full of energy.
"Now that's it!"
As he weaved the ball out of Isagi's reach.
His movements sharp and unpredictable.
"Those are the eyes you had back then!"
But before Isagi could respond.
A sudden chime echoed through the training facility.
"Ding, dong, ding, dong..."
Both Bachira and Isagi froze.
Their attention snapping upward.
"Ahem,"
"We have finished compiling the results from the last three days."
"So hurry back to your rooms."
"And have a look at your new rankings."
The two stood in silence for a moment.
Then Bachira let out a playful laugh.
"Well, guess playtime's over,"
Nudging the ball lightly toward Isagi.
Isagi caught it with his foot.
"Let's go,"
Bachira said.
Turning toward Team Z's room.
Isagi silently followed.
…
The shared room was dimly lit.
Isagi and Bachira walked in together.
As they stepped inside.
A familiar voice rang out.
"Oh! Isagi!"
Isagi looked up to see Ryosuke Kira.
Standing nearby, his patch held up.
"Look!"
Kira exclaimed.
Pointing at his ranking patch.
"I climbed a few ranks from 289th! I'm now 268th!"
Isagi's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Oh?! Nice!"
Kira's eyes shifted to Isagi's patch.
And he noticed the change immediately.
"Ah! Yours changed too! Look!"
Isagi glanced down at his chest.
Where his new ranking now, 274th.
"You're right! I'm 274th!"
He exclaimed, smiling.
Kira chuckled.
"I'm still ahead of you, Isagi! You better catch up!"
Isagi returned the grin.
"No worries, I will."
Before their exchange could continue.
The large monitor on the wall suddenly flickered to life.
"Boop!"
Jinpachi Ego's face filled the screen.
"Hello, and nicely done. All of you unpolished gems. Are you enjoying your lives here at Blue Lock?"
Isagi immediately tensed up.
"It's him again!" he thought.
From the back of the room.
Raichi's angry voice broke the silence.
"Shove it up your ass! How can anyone enjoy this shit?!"
Naruhaya chimed in.
"That's right~... I wanna eat a proper meal…"
This prompted Gagamaru to shoot a glare at him.
"You little... even after you ate one of my gyoza…"
Jinpachi Ego raised a brow.
His retort came quick, sharp, and brutal.
"Shitty football calls for a shitty environment, capiche, dickhead?"
Raichi clenched his fist.
"Huh?! You—"
But Jinpachi continued.
Lifting a finger as if lecturing a group of children.
"But let's talk about Blue Lock, now."
The screen shifted.
Jinpachi's face shrinking into a smaller frame as a large diagram appeared.
A complex image of overlapping pentagons.
Each pentagon was divided into five sections.
With letters representing the team names, from B to Z.
"This facility is arranged into five different strata,"
Jinpachi began.
His voice echoing through the room.
"We have 25 teams, ranging from Team B to Team Z, with each stratum living in different conditions."
A pause allowed the room.
To absorb the information before he continued.
"By the way, since 25 players, one from each team, were eliminated during our game of Tag…"
His voice trailed off ominously.
"There are now a total of 275 players currently residing in Blue Lock."
Hearing this, Isagi's thoughts wandered briefly.
"I'm still second to last? That's ironic."
Yet instead of feeling discouraged.
He found himself smirking.
Something about it amused him.
"Each team is formed by the ranks of their players. In other words, Team B's players are from 1st to 11th, Team C's from 12th to 22nd, and so on."
The screen highlighted the lowest tier of the diagram.
Jinpachi's voice grew sharper.
"And you… Team Z, are in the worst stratum of all."
"Stratum number five."
"Yours is the team made up of players ranked between 265th and 275th."
A tense silence followed his words.
Isagi stared at the diagram, his eyes narrowing.
"These guys who are with me are considered... the lowest of the lows?"
The thought lingered as Raichi exploded with anger.
"Are you shitting me?! I've gotta play with this fucking trash?!"
Kira snapped back instantly.
His voice heated.
"What was that?!"
Kunigami's deep voice joined the fray.
His tone defensive.
"Who are you calling 'trash?'..."
Kuon stepped forward with his hands raised.
"Hey now, let's all calm down…"
But before anyone else could speak.
Jinpachi's voice cut through the room.
"Players of higher ranks from the lower blocks have the better meals and superior training equipment…"
The screen flickered.
Showing vivid images of luxurious Japanese cuisine.
Steaming bowls of ramen, meticulously crafted sushi, and perfectly grilled wagyu beef.
Beside it, footage played of a player utilizing cutting-edge training gear.
Resistance machines, hyper-advanced AI trainers, and pristine fields.
"These are meant to represent the lifestyle of those strikers at the very top,"
Jinpachi continued.
His tone dripping with provocation.
"Here,"
Jinpachi declared.
"Is where the finest football players get to live like kings."
His arms spread wide as though welcoming them to a grand stage.
"Win."
He proclaimed.
"So you too can seize such a lifestyle!"
Everyone stared at the screen.
Their heart pounding.
"This is what it means to be in Blue Lock."
The screen flickered once more.
And Jinpachi's face returned.
His piercing gaze locking onto them.
"Let the First Selection… begin."
…
New Rankings:
265th - Rensuke Kunigami
266th - Meguru Bachira
267th - Hyoma Chigiri
268th - Ryosuke Kira
269th - Gin Gagamaru
270th - Wataru Kuon
271th - Jingo Raichi
272th - Asahi Naruhaya
273th - Yudai Imamura
274th - Yoichi Isagi
275th - Okuhito Lemon
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone